2024 AUSTRIAN SPRINT QUALIFYING RESULTS AND RACE PREDICTIONS
Verstappen starts on pole:
Max Verstappen (Red Bull) starts in the pole position at Red Bull Racing home race on Saturday for the Austrian GP Sprint Race. Verstappen (1'04.686s) will start ahead of both McLaren drivers Lando Norris (1'04.779s) and Oscar Piastri (1'04.987s) in P2 and P3 respectively, after an exciting Friday qualifying session.
Key moments from SQ1?
Verstappen set the quickest time at 1'05.690s on the mandated medium tyres. Meanwhile, Lewis Hamilton (Mercedes) lost his opening lap time when he had big wobbles at Turn 1 and 6, which resulted in him exceeding track limits. He had to run again and made it through despite another scrappy lap.
Unexpectedly, Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) suffered a huge spin at Turn 9. His car miraculously escaped damage, but his lap time took a hit (1'06.557s).
Knocked out in SQ1: Daniel Ricciardo (AlphaTauri), Nico Hulkenberg (Haas), Valtteri Bottas (Sauber), Alex Albon (Williams) and Zhou Guanyu (Sauber).
Key moments from SQ2?
Verstappen set the fastest time at 1'05.186s, a mere 0.139s ahead of George Russell (Mercedes), intensifying the competition.
Knocked out in SQ2: Kevin Magnussen (Haas), both Aston Martin drivers Lance Stroll and Fernando Alonso, Tsunoda and Logan Sargeant (Williams).
Results and key moments from SQ3?
Teams elected for just one run on the mandatory soft tyres, making it a frantic dash in the battle for pole as they all left the pits with under 3 minutes remaining.
Hamilton started by setting the new fastest lap at 1'05.270s after running wide at Turn 3, which Russell, Piastri, Norris, and Verstappen beat. Verstappen took pole with the fastest lap time of 1'04.686s.
Norris, who was 0.093s off pole, will start second alongside teammate Piastri, Russell (P4), Ferrari's Carlos Sainz (P5), Hamilton (P6), Red Bulls Sergio Perez (P7) in his team home race, and Alpines drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, who will take P8 and P9, respectively.
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) didn't make the pitlane time after his car faltered on his out lap, so he will start P10.
These sessions set the grid for Saturday's sprint race, building anticipation for Sunday's Grand Prix, for which the starting grid will be determined in a qualifying session after the sprint race on Saturday afternoon.
